PART 2

 

 

Mai raised her eyebrows, looked at her hands, and felt the same warmth she had felt on the first day when she arrived at the ancient plain in Kahrlin. She had experienced a golden text that day and mentioned it to them but refrained from going into precise details. They confirmed that it was the system which should be impossible for a woman to possess. Mai thought she was special because she had a system, but there you go. It had even helped an animal achieve a breakthrough.

"So all Rune Masters have the ability to help others achieve breakthroughs? That's truly unique." she said without thinking.

Her words made everyone stop drawing, and they looked at her in silence.

Master Kjeld had dropped his jaw and said, "Our system is there to help only us and not others. If one could help others achieve breakthroughs, it would be cheating, and the person would be hunted by the wrong types."

He furrowed his brows and added, "I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully if it were me."

His words made Mai regret mentioning it and blamed her open-minded personality. Me and my mouth.

Fortunately, Master Kjeld quickly changed the subject and began to explain about the ink set. It was a temporary set for Mai until she got her own, which she had to find herself, literally.

The animals lived in different places on each continent, and since Kahrlin was known as the Continent of Nature, it had all the animals gathered on its continent. That made everything easier for Mai, she thought, until she realized she had to find the animals herself – on her own. She didn't like the idea as she was a master at getting lost.

Master Kjeld quickly guided her through the process of how to draw a rune correctly.

The stone in front of her was a Mana Supporter with built-in mana. It was specially built only for Rune Masters and served as a drawing board for them. It functioned as a support that boosted one with extra mana.

A rune was based on lines.

One lost mana every time one drew a line.

A sketch had a weaker effect than a finished drawing.

That explained why Mai had felt exhaustion when she had performed the ceremony.

Her sketches had worked on the women, but it meant their wounds hadn't been as severe.

Master Kjeld hadn't noticed it that day, so she chose not to mention it to him.

"The easiest runes to make are heal and support. The hardest are offensive spells, which are the most sought after besides godly tier." said Master Kjeld, who immediately set her to work on drawing her first rune.

But it had to follow a specific book - a botany book.

Runes were drawn based on plants of nature because they were based on the cycle of life.

However, there were two types of spells that did not fall under that category: powerful spells and godly runes.

So, for a poisonous plant like a Belladonna, one would draw a belladonna, and the rune would have a toxic effect. It only worked if one had drawn it correctly, which was precisely according to the book.

Mai didn't like drawing based on other drawings and felt a strange sensation in her stomach as she held her quill.

She dipped it in the ink and began to draw a line after a chamomile flower, which had a soothing effect according to the book's description.

Suddenly, golden dust appeared over her hand, which transformed into bold text.

"Stroke 1 completed."

The writing glowed and turned into golden dust again, sinking into the paper and leaving behind a fine, thin golden line just like the one she had drawn. Mai counted in her head and came up with too many strokes if she were to finish her rune.

She drew a line again.

There was no golden text.

She drew a new line.

Still, there was none.

She furrowed her brows and drew more lines.

There was no golden text.

Frustrated, she quickly drew a bunch of lines that together formed a chamomile flower, albeit a slightly blurry one with crooked edges.

So ugly.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling in her heart and felt heavy in her legs and head. There was sudden pressure in her lungs, and her forehead tingled, her ears throbbed. She held her forehead and rested her elbow on the stone, which immediately wiped out.

A new golden text appeared.

"Stroke 1 is ruined."

Liam glanced at her and said, "It requires concentration. Remember, your mana is drained every time you draw a line, and if you draw an imperfect line, it drains more mana from you. It's better if you make proper lines."

"This is harder than I thought. I thought it was just about drawing." she muttered, scratching her head.

Mai took a new piece of paper and started again, but this time, cautiously. She began by drawing a flower petal, one at a time of the same chamomile flower. Very slowly and carefully, she managed to draw a thin, long flower petal resembling broad stems. It lit up in a golden color and sank into the paper.

"Stroke 1 completed."

She broke into a smile and continued in the same manner, drawing each subsequent flower petal carefully.

"Stroke 2 completed."

She continued, and after a long time, she managed to complete all the flower petals, shaped like a circle, all now in a golden color. She finished in the center of the circle with a dot, which was the heart of the flower.

"Stroke 67 completed."

She set the quill aside and wiped her forehead as she felt a cool breeze cooling her neck. Her stomach growled, and she had a sore back while her fingers sweated profusely. She had a headache, and her shoulders felt stiff.

"Congratulations. You have created a Chamomile Hand."

The golden text turned to dust and floated into the paper, transforming the dot in the middle into a golden color. The flower glowed and suddenly floated out of the paper now in front of her. Master Kjeld and the men clapped their hands loudly, praising Mai, who now sat with a tight smile.

A damn chamomile flower according to a book was nothing to brag about.

"Now you need to take the rune and absorb it. So, you don't have to draw it again the next time you need it." he said, boosting her mood.

But as she was about to touch the rune, she hesitated and bit her lip.

"Master, I don't want it. Is it okay if I choose my runes myself?" she asked.

"Of course, but you use mana every time you make a rune. I suggest you learn how to store a rune with the system." he said and quickly explained the process.

Mai held her left hand in front of her and muttered, "Rune box. Open."

Golden dust formed in front of her, transforming into a medium-sized square golden box with a golden skeleton key in it. She turned the key, and the box opened. Curiously, she looked into it. Thick white dust floated around like twinkling stars, and she put her hand in and felt something warm and soft.

"That's where you store your runes, and only you can use your rune box, but other Rune Masters can still see it." Master Kjeld explained as Mai looked on in wonder, bringing her hand back to herself.

"Can we use it for other things?" she asked.

Unfortunately, it was only for runes.

"Why are runes and tattoos the same? Aren't there tattoos too?" she asked.

"Runes are the only drawings in the world with magical powers. What is referred to as genuine tattoos are only found with a high priestess, but they only reside in Amenale. They hate the outside world, and only they can use them. Runes cannot be seen, so those you see with tattoos are just tattoos. If a person asks to be tattooed, they are referring to a rune, not a tattoo." Master Kjeld replied, as he began to look through a red book, flipping through it slowly.

"It reminds me he should be back soon." he muttered, taking out a green book and flipping through it.

Mai looked at Liam and whispered, "Who is coming back?"

"A good friend of Master Kjeld." he replied.

Five hours later, it was time for a break, but before people scattered, Master Kjeld looked over at Mai and said, "I'll teach you about blood runes after the break, so eat as much as you can and take these. Swallow them."

He handed her a small green wooden box which she immediately opened. Inside were 20 small light blue round pills that shimmered with a smooth surface. It was the same pill that Hilda had eaten that day.

"Azure Drops provide a temporary mana boost that cultivators use to be able to use more runes than their bodies can handle, but it has side effects. For us Rune Masters, it's like candy. Eat one during your break." Master Kjeld said, sending Mai off with Liam and the other men who had already settled into a corner in the garden where there was a table of food.

At the table, Mai stared at the pill. When Liam handed her a chicken bacon sandwich, she suddenly wasn't hungry.

Pills gave her terrible memories from her childhood.

She swallowed a large lump of saliva that hurt her throat.

A tight smile spread across her lips, and she said, "If cultivators get side effects, I'm sure Rune Masters get something too, but it's just not visible. Like sugar poisoning or something."

"We usually don't eat them. Blood Runes are looked down upon, but they're not forbidden. We never do anything against our ethics as Rune Masters. That's why we don't need those pills." Liam said, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Just the name sounds bad. Why do I have to learn about it? I assume I have to draw with my blood." Mai said, feeling a knot in her heart.

"It's looked down upon because the one who creates a blood rune on another person can look into the person's mind. It only happens briefly, but what they see is random. But a Blood Rune is stronger if the Rune Master is strong. And believe me, there are many amateurs swimming around in the sea." Liam replied, pointing at the pills in the box.

"Master said 1 pill, but I suggest you take them all just to be safe. He didn't see when you made the runes for the group because he was busy opening the gates."

Mai nodded and quickly swallowed the pills, washing them down with a glass of red juice, and grabbed a sandwich that tasted tangy. She grimaced and inquired about the gates that Master Kjeld had opened with his hammer.

"They're called Gates of the Gods, which borrow power from all the gods. There are said to be 50 gates, but humans have only been able to open up to 20. It requires a personal tool to open. Master Kjeld's hammer is called God's Hand, which is the only type of artifact that can open the gates. They come in different forms." Liam explained as Mai ate another sandwich.

She looked forward to getting her own God's Hand, but she didn't like the name. God spread his hand and created their language, and he called a Rune Master's tool his hand. She wished to meet that god one day.

 

 

“swimming around in the sea”: Is a metaphor for the many inexperienced people trying to use blood runes. Like swimmers in the sea, they're diving into something dangerous without knowing the risks.